I tried the Whole 30 this month and I FAILED!
or
Did I?
Yes I certainly did, I 100% failed!
I set out 22 days ago to complete the whole 30 protocol to help reset my gut health and pin point any food intolerances that I may have.
I knew from the start that it would be difficult I had to cut out grains, diary, wheat, added sugar, alcohol and any form of processed food. I was feeling positive and looking forward to getting stuck in to it, I knew it was inevitable that I would lose some weight due to the foods I would be eliminating and couldn’t wait to see the abs come out again.
A little quick background in what the whole 30 is?
The Whole30 diet was developed in 2009 by Utah-based sports nutritionists Melissa and Dallas Hartwig and it has steadily risen in popularity over recent years. The Hartwigs say that the program is designed to help men and women ‘put an end to unhealthy cravings and habits, restore a healthy metabolism, heal the digestive tract, and balance the immune system.’
Some people see it as an extreme version of the caveman-inspired Paleo diet which is fast becoming the next ‘it’ weight-loss program to follow. The month-long Whole30 plan prohibits the consumption of sugar, beans of all kinds, peas, chickpeas, lentils, peanuts, grains, dairy, and even some Paleo-approved foods like alcohol and honey.
It also forbids people from weighing or measuring their bodies for the duration.
Soooooooooooooooo
Am I pissed off I failed?
NO!
Do I feel I let anyone down?
NO!
Am I a shit personal trainer because I couldn’t stick to a strict elimination diet?
NO!
Why?
Like any failure in your life you have to analyse why you failed and think about the positives that have come from it. This will help you come back stronger, every day you learn something new, you improve your knowledge about life and you learn something new about yourself. I took a huge amount away from my 22 days doing the program and I feel I ended it on my terms.
I made a decision 7 days ago that I would end it this week on day 22 if I hadn’t managed to increase my weight or add a significant amount of calories to my whole 30 nutrition plan. The strict nature of the diet meant I was eating a lot of the same foods but that is not an excuse I believe I just got to the point where I simply didn’t want to eat as much food as I usually would.
I learnt a ton about my body, about what foods I need to sustain my energy levels and most importantly what foods I should be eating more regularly.
Why did I start the Whole 30?
I decided to do the whole 30 elimination diet because a few clients where interested in it and they were looking moral support. I was happy enough to get involved without much thought. I thought it wouldn’t have any major impact on my training or lifestyle.
I was wrong!
I lost a ton of weight, my energy levels plummeted and I found it hard to focus on getting my training sessions completed with the same intensity that I normally have.
Why did this happen?
Quite simply I was a little bitch and I wasn’t eating enough calories during the day to support my body’s needs.
I was eating all the right foods throughout the day but I struggled to eat enough, maybe I should have force fed myself a bit more to get the calories in but if you read the details of what the Whole30 is truly about the eating plan should be effortless and you shouldn’t be stressing out about what you have to eat.
Which I find quite funny because there is so much food that you can’t eat, you have to check every single item of food you eat to ensure that all the ingredients are Whole30 approved, this in itself can prove quite stressful for most people, I found it easy enough because I have an interest in nutrition and had a good idea of what foods should be avoided at all costs.
I do not believe the Whole30 was set up to ensure you eat a ton of good food, the whole idea of letting your gut heal and reset would surely be counterproductive if I was trying to shove down 1000 calories per meal 3 times per day.
What did I learn during my time on the whole 30?
One of the biggest things that I realised during my short time on the whole 30, I had let my nutrition slip over the course of a few months, from I got married in May and went on honeymoon I never really got back on track.
I still ate well 70% of the time but I had let certain elements slip away. I got lazy when prepping food and only did it when I felt like it instead of my usual schedule of making all my meals on certain days for the week ahead.
I had allowed myself more processed food than I would like to admit, I was working 15-17 hours per day and was relying on convenience foods such as protein bars, shakes and the odd high energy chocolate bar to keep the calories up then eating huge amounts of food when I got home.
I stopped counting my calories so I wasn’t aware of how many calories I was consuming on a daily basis, I was basically guesstimating how much I was eating and I was obviously eating too much of the wrong foods judging by the starting picture on day 1.
Positives and Negatives from my Whole30 journey
Positives
- Helped me get back into a regular routine of preparing food
- Showed me some excellent ways to prepare healthy & nutritious food
- Highlighted some common foods that are loaded with additives, sulphites and MSG
- Opened my eyes once again to the importance of food in your life
- You will lose weight (fat)
Negatives
- I felt personally that the restrictive nature of the whole 30 can cause problems in itself. I do understand it needs to be 30 days for your body to re-set and get the full benefit out of it.
- Looking at every single food item and having to ask a whole lot of questions to meat suppliers that many of them do not know the answers to.
- It is not for everyone, people can have some weird stuff going on in their bodies be sure to do your research before starting.
If I was to do the Whole30 again what would I do differently?
It is important to note that the Whole30 protocol is not for everyone, there are a lot of success and not so successful stories, so make sure you do your research before you begin! I will re-visit this protocol in the future without a doubt, even though I technically ended it on my terms I still feel a sense of pain that I failed to complete the full 30 days. I actually enjoyed eating super clean again.
Starting again I would reduce my activity levels and drop the intensity of my training sessions. I wouldn’t completely stop training but I would definitely have to drop the volume and maybe stick with 30-45 mins 3 times per week and ensure that I am not pushing myself to the max too often.
I would have a better understanding of my weight loss and maybe have a better structure to my eating plan as in making sure I am getting enough calories in throughout the day to maintain my energy and performance levels .
All that being said from the 22 days on the program I can definitely see how it would help people looking to lose body fat and become a healthier version of themselves. I must admit I think people would struggle to adapt to the plan for 30 whole days without straying, it takes dedication and determination but it can be done as the many success stories prove, although as mentioned before do your homework before starting as our bodies are all unique and it does not agree with everyone.
I have to give credit to everyone who has completed the full 30 days of the program, be sure to add foods back in slowly to give you a true indication of food intolerances.
It is not a sustainable diet or fat loss plan for 90% of the people looking to kick start their fitness journey having said that its only for 30 days as the name states.
Check it out here WHOLE 30
If you would like to ask any questions about the Whole30 or are thinking about starting and would like some advice send me an email daniel@nolimits.fitness I will be happy to help.